


There'll Be a Light in the Hall

by DryCereal



Series: "Week of Fics" Challenge, July 2018 [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Bit of Fluff, I promise., M/M, Mild Angst, More so it's effects on others, Phil POV, References to Depression, resolved angst, worry/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 12:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DryCereal/pseuds/DryCereal
Summary: Phil wakes up, and Dan's... not there. He worries.





	There'll Be a Light in the Hall

Phil’s not sure what woke him, but it’s not what, or, more appropriately **who** will _keep_ him awake for the time being.

 **_Dan_ ** _. **  
**_

Specifically, his absence, not just from their bed, but, as it quickly becomes apparent, from their entire apartment.

He fights back a wave of panic, and instead goes and fetches both his phone and their duvet before settling on their sofa to wait. However long it takes.

He’ll wait.

He always does. Always will.

That doesn’t mean he won’t try and make contact - he can’t **_not_** \- even if he doesn’t get an answer, even if... well. It’s just a message. It doesn’t need an answer, doesn’t even need to be read.

Just as well really, since Dan’s phone buzzes almost immediately after he hits send - it’s lying abandoned on the kitchen counter. The panic sweeps in on the back of the momentary flash of irritation, and this time, it’s harder to hold it back, swallow it down and not let it choke him.  
  
He wants to go over there and knock the useless phone off the counter, sweep it away along with the fear, the panic, the worry, and most of all whichever of his demons has chased Dan from the safety of their home out into the night this time… but taking it out on a lump of glass and plastic won’t make him feel any better.  
  
It’s far from the first time this has happened. But it’s been a while, and usually there’s some warning signs, some indication that Dan’s wound tighter than usual, that he’s trapped fighting yet another silent battle in his own mind, until he gets the sudden urge to flee, to get away, not just from whatever monster keeps him awake, but so unresponsive to anything or anyone, away from _everything_.

It hurts, feeling like he can’t help. But he does, Dan always tells him he does, and he believes it.  
  
He has to.  
  
It’s just harder to believe it at times like this.  
  
He studiously ignores Dan’s phone on the counter as he makes himself a cup of matcha tea, figuring that he’s probably up for the night, or until Dan gets home at least, so the caffeine doesn’t matter, and following the steps in making the drink gives him something to focus on, instead of sitting doing nothing letting his thoughts roam.  
  
He takes the finished drink back to the sofa, and wraps himself back up in the duvet, turns on the TV, and scrolls aimlessly through the choices on Netflix until he picks something they’ve watched countless times that he can pretend to watch. Really, it’s just quiet background noise, something to trick himself with that he’s not sat up alone in the middle of the night...  
  
And he waits.  
  
He’s not sure how long it’s been, and anyway, he wouldn’t know how long Dan had been gone before he woke, but he’s half-dozing on the sofa at some point after he half-hears the theme tune of the show play for the second time that he hears keys in the door, followed by the creak of the hinges as it opens. He forces himself to stay on the sofa, instead of running down the stairs and wrapping Dan in his arms, knowing that usually he’d just want to sneak back into bed without saying a word, and Phil doesn’t think it’s fair forcing him into interactions if he’s not ready, verbal or physical.  
  
Dan’s home and safe, but that doesn’t mean he’s done waiting for him to come back. Not fully.  
  
So he sits, facing the TV, and tries hard to actually look at what’s on the screen, instead of staring at the top of the stairs, to catch a glimpse of his boyfriend as soon as possible. He does sneak a peek at Dan as he crosses the room towards the kitchen, but he himself remains unnoticed, until Dan turns to put the bags on the counter and…  
  
Bags.  
  
That’s… new.  
  
“Phil...?” Dan looks confused as he says it, as if wondering why he isn’t in bed, despite knowing (and apologising for it plenty of times) that Phil will always, without fail be up and out of bed if he leaves in the night. Phil opens his mouth as if to answer him, but there’s something, maybe it’s surprise, it might even be a bit of the anger he never tries to show preventing him from answering, but it leaves him gaping at Dan, as he comes towards him and sits down on the sofa.  
  
“Phil… why are you up, love? What’s wrong?”  
  
“Thought – Woke up and you weren’t here. Didn’t know… Where you were…” There’s an undeniable tremor in his voice, even as he feels the tension and stress leaving his body, and he knows Dan hears it as his face softens and he gently tries to find the opening in the duvet, before giving up and instead wrapping an arm around Phil, duvet and all.  
  
“I woke up and couldn’t sleep. Went to the shop to get more milk because we wouldn’t have had enough for morning if I’d had a glass to try and get back to sleep.” Dan murmurs soothingly, as Phil slumps fully against him. He feels Dan’s lips against his temple as he speaks, and it does wonders for his mood as he _almost_ manages to relax fully. “I should have left a note or something, I’m sorry love.”  
  
“I-I…” he falters, not knowing quite what to say without sounding accusatory, so he settles for “I can’t sleep without you” He feels Dan smile slightly, then a kiss being brushed against his forehead before he stands, replying as he goes:  
  
“OK. Next time I’ll risk our future financial security and take you with me to the shop after midnight. Speaking of your bank-breaking sweet tooth, want to see what I got as well as the milk?”  
  
Phil can’t help but smile and nod at the teasing, and he laughs when Dan waves a handful of bags of Haribo sweets at him from the kitchen, before beckoning him back to the sofa, wrapping him up in the duvet when he returns as they curl up together this time to watch whatever it is still playing on the TV.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's Day 2 of the week of fics challenge DONE. Yeahhhhhh buddy!
> 
> Not a bad way to distract myself from projecting my fear of flying (and stressing at waiting for a text to say he's landed safe and sound) onto the OH who's on his way to FL at the moment... Roll on August 6th.
> 
> Hope you liked it, hope it didn't turn out too doom and gloom, let me know in the comments, or grab me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/DryCerealThief) or [Tumblr](https://drycerealthief.tumblr.com) if you'd rather!
> 
> 'Nother fic tomorrow, all being well. (I'm treating this challenge like Phil treated Gamingmas '17. WE'LL SEE! NO PROMISES!) :D <3


End file.
